OMG Let’s talk about GMOs!

I’m a mom to a vibrant little girl and a baby girl. My days are filled with all kinds of messes, meltdowns, sticky stuff and, thanks to my Moms’ group, the occasional adult conversation. At the most recent Moms’ group meeting, we had a dietitian speak with us Moms about the importance of nutrition and choosing the right foods for our families. She started with the basic and alarming statistics about childhood obesity adding the fact that children in the United States have a shorter life expectancy than their grandparents! There was a lot of talk about the healthy food choices, veggies and the list goes on and on.

Then came the question-and-answer session. One of the Moms asked “which is better; butter or margarine?” Her response was that they both have a lot of saturated fats and that it’s kind of a toss up. Oh My Goodness!!!!!! I almost fell on my face when I heard this. I’m not a Dr., I’m not a Dietitian, I’m not a Nutritionist BUT please let me answer this!

Butter is better!! Yes, if you eat too much, your butt is going to grow but there is so much more to health and nutrition than the size of your badonkadonk! Butter is pure and simple; the ingredients are cream and salt (if purchasing salted butter). I suggest organic butter. Real butter will provide you with vitamins and fatty acids. Check out what Dr. Mercola has to say about this. Margarine is loaded with preservatives, emulsifiers, synthetic vitamins, soy protein isolate and Genetically Modified Organisms! Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on a box of margarine? Check out this Country Crock Margarine. What a crock!

After hearing her talk about butter, I just knew I needed to ask her opinion about GMOs and if that is even on her radar. So I asked, “Are GMOs a concern to you?” Her response was that she is a farmer’s daughter and that genetically modifying seeds has been around for centuries. She went on to say that GMOs are in everything we eat, and there is nothing we can do about it. Oh My Goodness!!!! I had to walk out of the room in order to not make a scene and be rude…after all our group asked her to come speak.

Let me share with you what I have discovered about GMOs. First of all, they have NOT been around for centuries. Hybrid seeds, however, have been around for centuries and it is a process that is common and something that nature intended. People in lab coats injecting seeds with Round-up and altering the genetic make-up and DNA is NOT natural. It’s playing GOD! Here is a great article that explains the difference. You can read and decide for yourself. http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/hybrid-seeds-vs-gmos

The video below covers the top 5 Myths about GMOs. It’s short and makes complete sense to me.

The next video I have to share is of Robyn O’Brien speaking about her clean food journey. Starting with her child’s allergic reaction to common foods. This is a longer video but is worth the time to watch.

The dietitian that was speaking to our group stated that there is nothing we can do to avoid GMOs because they are in nearly everything. Well, let me speak directly to this subject….mmmmkkkkkk! First of all there is a little something called Supply and Demand. We are the consumers and if we refuse to purchase product X (filled with GMOs), the demand will decrease for the product and the producers will certainly start to take notice! The consumers have the power! Don’t buy the stuff! What’s that you say? You must have your bowl of Cheerios to start your morning? Try Nature’s Path Heritage O’s Cereal. Look for products that are USDA Organic or have the Non-GMO Certified label. Did you know that in Europe Cheerios made by General Mills do NOT contain GMOs! Let’s send a message to the mega food companies that we want to know what is in our food!

Another way to avoid GMOs is to stop buying or at least drastically limit the amount of packed/processed foods you buy. 70% of conventional processed foods in the U.S. contain GMOs. You’ve heard it before, shop the outer aisle of the grocery store. Buy fruits and vegetables! Nuts and seeds! Organic, grass-fed beef. Eat food that actually looks like food….think about that for a moment.

Okay, I could go on and on and on, but I will stop now. So what do you think? Are GMOs a concern to you? I’d love to hear what you think!

Whitney

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Thanks for Sharing this Whitney…. Everyone needs to arm themselves with education on GMOs.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.” They called for a moratorium on GM foods, long-term independent studies, and labeling. AAEM’s position paper stated, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. They conclude, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation,” as defined by recognized scientific criteria. “The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.”

More and more doctors are already prescribing GM-free diets. Dr. Amy Dean, a Michigan internal medicine specialist, and board member of AAEM says, “I strongly recommend patients eat strictly non-genetically modified foods.” Ohio allergist Dr. John Boyles says “I used to test for soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered, it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it.”

Pregnant Women and Babies are at the biggest risk, but don’t think you are safe. The only published human feeding study revealed what may be the most dangerous problem from GM foods. The gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function. This means that long after we stop eating GMOs, we may still have potentially harmful GM proteins produced continuously inside of us. Put more plainly, eating a corn chip produced from Bt corn might transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories, possibly for the rest of our lives.